Kota Greenfield Airport: First flights targeted for December 2027
Synopsis
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has personally set a December 2027 deadline for first flights from the ₹1,507 crore Kota Greenfield Airport, with construction to be completed by October 2027. With 80% of design work done and foundations laid, the project is on the clock — and quarterly AAI progress reports will now keep it there.
Key Takeaways
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla chaired a high-level review of the Kota Greenfield Airport project on 30 July at Parliament House, New Delhi.
First scheduled flights are targeted by December 2027 ; all construction must be completed by October 2027 .
Around 80 per cent of the design development phase is complete and foundation work has commenced at Shambhupura, Kota .
The airport is being built at an estimated cost of ₹1,507 crore .
AAI officials directed to submit progress reports every three months for periodic review.
Once operational, the airport is expected to boost connectivity, industry, tourism, and education in the Kota-Bundi and Hadauti regions.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday, 30 July chaired a high-level review meeting at Parliament House, New Delhi, to assess the construction status of the Kota Greenfield Airport at Shambhupura in Kota district, Rajasthan. He directed officials to ensure scheduled flight operations commence by December 2027, with all construction wrapped up by October 2027 to allow time for testing and certification.
Who Was in the Room
The meeting brought together Union Minister for Civil Aviation Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, the Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Chairman and senior officials of the Airports Authority of India (AAI), and representatives from the Rajasthan state administration. Rajiv Dutta, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to the Lok Sabha Speaker, was also present.
Where the Project Stands
Officials informed the meeting that construction is progressing steadily. Approximately 80 per cent of the design development phase has been completed, and foundation work has already commenced at the Shambhupura site. The airport is being developed at an estimated cost of ₹1,507 crore.
The review covered construction progress, environmental and technical clearances, and the phased implementation of the project. Birla emphasised that the timeline must be met without any compromise on quality standards.
What Birla Directed
Speaker Birla instructed executing agencies to resolve any administrative, technical, or regulatory bottlenecks immediately so that construction proceeds without interruption. He also mandated that AAI officials submit a comprehensive progress report every three months to enable periodic oversight and course correction.
Notably, this is the first formal high-level review chaired by the Speaker himself — a signal of the political priority attached to the project, given that Kota falls within Birla's own Lok Sabha constituency.
Expected Impact on the Region
Once operational, the Kota Greenfield Airport is expected to significantly improve air connectivity for the Kota-Bundi corridor and the broader Hadauti region. Stakeholders anticipate a positive multiplier effect on industrial growth, education, trade, investment, and tourism — sectors in which Kota already holds national prominence as a coaching and educational hub.
With the October 2027 construction deadline now formally set, the coming quarterly reviews will be critical in determining whether the project stays on track for its inaugural flight.
Point of View
And a greenfield airport by 2027 would be a tangible pre-election deliverable. The 80% design completion figure sounds reassuring, but Indian infrastructure projects routinely compress optimism into early-phase milestones; the harder test comes when civil works, regulatory clearances, and AAI operationalisation timelines converge. The three-month reporting mandate is a sound accountability mechanism, but only if the reports are acted upon rather than filed. Kota's identity as India's coaching capital gives this airport genuine economic logic — but political timelines and engineering timelines do not always align.
NationPress
30 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
When will the Kota Greenfield Airport become operational?
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has directed that scheduled flight operations from the Kota Greenfield Airport begin by December 2027. All construction work is to be completed by October 2027 to allow time for testing, certification, and operational preparations.
Where exactly is the Kota Greenfield Airport being built?
The airport is being constructed at Shambhupura in Kota district, Rajasthan. It is a greenfield facility, meaning it is being built on a new site rather than expanding an existing airport.
What is the estimated cost of the Kota Greenfield Airport?
The project is estimated to cost ₹1,507 crore. It is being developed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in coordination with the Rajasthan state administration.
How much of the Kota airport project has been completed so far?
As of the 30 July review meeting, approximately 80 per cent of the design development phase has been completed and foundation work has commenced at the Shambhupura site.
Who will benefit from the Kota Greenfield Airport?
The airport is expected to improve air connectivity for the Kota-Bundi corridor and the Hadauti region. It is anticipated to boost industrial growth, education, trade, investment, and tourism — sectors in which Kota is already nationally significant as a major coaching and education hub.
